News & Press Releases 2009

DENVER — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers and 17th Judicial District Attorney Don Quick announced today that Tammera Deane Henritze, 38, pleaded guilty Aug. 14, 2009 to one count of criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault on an at-risk adult, a class-three felony, stemming from allegations that she neglected and mistreated an elderly woman and then falsely billed Medicaid for the care. Pursuant to the stipulated terms of the plea agreement, Henritze faces a prison term of between 10 and 20 years at her Oct. 26 sentencing hearing.

DENVER — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that an El Paso County District Court has ordered a Colorado Springs business, the Immigration Center, from engaging in deceptive trade practices, including posing as or claiming an affiliation with the federal government.

DENVER — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that Colorado has received a share of a $12.4 million settlement with Madison, New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics Inc. after one of its former subsidiaries, Nichols Institute Diagnostics, manufactured faulty medical-testing kits that resulted in inaccurate and unreliable laboratory tests that were billed to the state Medicaid program.

DENVER — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that his office’s consumer credit compliance examinations yielded more than $1.8 million in refunds to more than 13,000 Colorado consumers during the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

DENVER — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that his office, in conjunction with the Florida Attorney General’s office, has reached an agreement to prevent an Englewood-based brokerage firm, Assurity Financial Services, LLC, from engaging in deceptive trade practices. The agreement is the latest in a series of actions the Office of the Attorney General has taken to combat deceptive mortgage advertising.

DENVER — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that the Statewide Grand Jury has indicted 15 individuals on suspicion of running a cocaine ring that extended throughout the Denver metro area, northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. The indictment is focused on conduct occurring between March 2009 and June 2009.

DENVER — Four bills the Office of the Attorney General drafted and championed during the 2009 legislative session to better protect Colorado consumers and the state’s water will go into effect Wednesday, Aug. 5.

“Each of our pragmatic proposals this year was aimed at better protecting the high quality of life we Coloradans enjoy,” Attorney General John Suthers said. “Each of the four bills that will go into effect Wednesday will help keep Colorado a great place to live, recreate and do business.”

DENVER — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers has been elected chairman of the Conference of Western Attorneys General at the organization’s annual meeting in Idaho.

“It is an honor to serve as the voice for western attorneys general as we move forward and confront the numerous challenges facing our states over the next year,” Suthers said. “The Conference of Western Attorneys General is a powerful voice for western states and an important forum for attorneys general to collaborate on issues of critical import to our constituents.”

DENVER — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that Timothy Kuskowski, who was indicted in April on 25 counts of identity theft, forgery, theft and criminal impersonation, has pleaded guilty in Summit County.

Kuskowski, who pleaded guilty to theft, a class-three felony; identity theft, a class-four felony; and forgery, a class-five felony, could be sentenced anywhere from eight to 24 years in prison at his Oct. 5 sentencing hearing before Summit County District Court Judge Terry Ruckriegle.

DENVER — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that Lone Tree-based DISH Network has agreed to pay $5.99 million to 46 states to settle allegations the satellite television provider and its third-party retailers engaged in unfair and deceptive sales practices. Colorado will receive $125,000 from the multistate settlement.

Also as part of the settlement, DISH Network has agreed to pay restitution to customers and has agreed to limit how it will market its services. Though DISH Network agreed to participate in the settlement, it has denied any wrongdoing.